How to create content pillars? – table of contents:

1. What are content pillars?
2. How to define content pillars for your brand?
3. Content pillars example
4. Summary

What are content pillars?

Content pillars are the core topics or themes that a brand or business uses to guide its content creation and marketing strategy. These pillars typically reflect the brand’s values, expertise, and unique selling proposition.

A content pillar strategy involves identifying a few key topics or themes that are important to the brand and then creating a range of content types around each pillar. This might include blog posts, videos, social media content, webinars, and more. It’s important to keep in mind that content pillars shouldn’t be overly detailed. Instead, they should serve as a solid foundation that can be further developed.

Content pillars play a vital role in SEO. By using relevant keywords and researching related phrases, you can optimize your content for search engines, which means your marketing materials can reach more people. While creating content with your target audience in mind is important, it’s also crucial to remember that search engine algorithms decide whether your content will be discovered or not.

Content pillars are a powerful tool that can help a brand achieve consistency and recognition on social media. By following a set path, brands can build a strong identity that resonates with their audience.

How to define content pillars for your brand?

As we have previously discussed, effective content pillars possess two key qualities. Firstly, they are engaging for the audience and relevant to the brand. Secondly, they incorporate appropriate keywords that have the potential to rank highly in search engine results.

Identify your target audience

To understand what is important to your audience and how to communicate with them effectively, you must first identify who they are. Therefore, your primary goal should be to define your marketing persona. Understanding your audience can shed light on their preferences, basic demographic data, and behaviors. This, in turn, can help you answer specific questions that are essential for creating effective content pillars. These questions might include:

• What are the core values of your target audience?
• What is the best platform to use to reach my audience?
• What are your customers looking for from your brand?
• In which areas is your brand considered an authority, and what is important to your audience in those areas?
• How can your marketing content address and solve your audience’s problems?

These are just a few examples that may help you identify content that is relevant to your target audience.

Choose compelling topics

Once you know who your target audience is, you can start pinpointing your content pillars. Defining your marketing persona may have already given you some initial ideas. Additionally, creating a list of topics that your audience is interested in can be helpful. This process can be based on your past experience and data available in search engines. Many online tools can assist you in identifying topics related to your brand, based on solid data.

Google Trends can be helpful in finding popular keywords related to your industry. Most internet users search for answers to their questions there, so it is a powerful tool for identifying trends. To make sure your content is coherent, it’s best to focus on just a few topics, no more than 10. Too many topics can cause confusion and inconsistent messaging. It’s better to choose a specific theme and strive to become an expert in it.

Find relevant keywords

Your content should primarily provide value to your audience. However, it’s also important to ensure that it’s search-engine friendly. You can achieve this by identifying relevant keywords that your audience uses to search for topics related to your content. Creating a list of these keywords is a crucial element that can help improve your Google ranking.

Don’t ignore your competitors

Unfortunately, your company is not unique (with some exceptions), and similar content already exists on the Internet. Nevertheless, you certainly have some qualities that set you apart. Communicating them to your audience should be your priority. But to do so, it is necessary to gain a deeper understanding of your competitors who are posing a direct threat to you. Analyzing your competition can help you identify areas of interest to your audience that have not yet been fully explored, thus creating a thematic gap. Filling this gap can enable you to create valuable content that makes you stand out from the competition.

Follow recent trends

While it’s important to have well-defined content pillars, it’s also possible to adjust them to reflect the current interests of your audience or to align them with emerging trends. Keeping an eye on social media can help in creating engaging posts that will capture your audience’s attention. This simple approach can assist in developing a relevant and effective strategy.

One effective strategy is to choose a few industry leaders or top influencers and follow them on social media. The goal isn’t to copy their practices but to stay up-to-date with news and trends. You may also want to learn more about how social media works and the algorithms that govern them. Understanding the platform you use every day can help you better align your content with current trends. Additionally, it’s worth following interesting industry blogs and reading current publications on related topics.

Content pillars example

While the theory is important, it can be overwhelming to put it into practice. That’s why we’ll provide a step-by-step guide to creating content pillars for your business. Let’s say you run a small photography business and you’re looking to increase your online presence. You want to share engaging and helpful content with your audience, but you’re not sure where to start. The first step will be to prepare a list of topics.

Concentrate on the primary areas of interest for your customers and choose 3-4 groups. In our example, these could be:

• Photography “behind the scenes”
• Practical tips and tricks
• Showcasing your work

The above groups will let you create a roadmap for your content creation. With them, you can build a content calendar and never again wonder about what to write. Simply add a few points to each topic at the start. If you don’t have any more ideas, don’t worry – give yourself time. Additional topics will come to you over time, or they may arise from interactions with your audience. Keep in mind that the people you are targeting with your content are also a great source of ideas. Here are some examples of how you could expand on the initial topics.

• Explain how to prepare a scenography
• Tell me about the tools you use every day
• Demonstrate the photo editing process
• Show me how to run a successful photo shoot

• Show how to take an interesting themed photo with a phone
• Present tips on posing
• Suggest what to wear for a photo session to look good

• Show interesting shots you managed to take
• Show the effects before and after photo editing

After you’ve listed the interesting topics, create a specific schedule for publishing them. You could assign a number to each topic and, for instance, publish content related to the photographer’s work every Monday. Remember to involve your audience in your efforts by creating surveys or leaving some space for questions.

Summary

Defining content pillars is a way to establish a clear and specific strategy for your content creation. By doing so, the content you produce becomes more meaningful not only to you but also to your audience. Your audience will receive personalized content that caters to their needs and interests. Content pillars will help you navigate a highly competitive market and identify untapped opportunities.

Read also: 4 differences between content marketing and copywriting.

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What is repurposing content? – table of contents:

1. Repurposing content – what is it exactly?
2. Recycling – facilitating your marketing efforts
3. How to recycle content?
4. Repurposing content – summary

Repurposing content – what is it exactly?

As the name suggests, content repurposing involves giving content new life – just as it is done in other industries (clothing, paper or electronics). The process doesn’t duplicate previously published content but refreshes it, betting on making it different in the way it is presented from the earlier version. What can you change by recycling content in this way? You can think of virtually any aspect that comes to your mind – the way you approach a topic, the format, the nature of the message, or even the way it is worded (to make your content appeal to a younger audience, for example).

Recycling – facilitating your marketing efforts

For what reason do knowledgeable marketers use content recycling? Because giving new life to content that was once created saves resources (especially time and money), extends the life of topics and helps in situations of impotence. When conducting marketing activities, it is very likely that at some point you will face a challenge to publish an interesting post on social media, and you simply will not have an idea or any inspiration on what to write about. This is when already created content (especially long blog articles) comes in handy.

You can recycle it, i.e. turn it into several posts, a video or even a podcast topic. This way, you can present one topic in a variety of different ways, depending on your publication source, audience or purpose.

Recycling content is crucial from a business point of view as well, because as you grow your business, you are constantly increasing the audience your content can reach – and you can do it via any channel: website, social media, blog or even music listening apps (podcasts). Therefore revisiting old topics makes sense (if you present the issue differently, of course), because it gives new people a chance to learn about the content you’ve prepared. Moreover, it ensures that you’ll tailor the content to the current situation (trends) in the market.

How to recycle content?

If you’ve been in business for a long time, it’s a good idea to go after the blog topics that have generated the most interest among users (determined by, for example, the hits seen in Google Analytics). However, keep in mind that not all content is recyclable. In this regard, so-called evergreen content, i.e. content that is forever relevant and can be replicated in various ways without fear of losing its level of content, will work best. Hence, when creating content daily, bet on searching for these types of topics to make your next steps easier from the start.

If you’ve already chosen your content, it’s time to think about how you can create related additional content. Here are some suggestions for the most successful forms:

• podcast – the ongoing boom in listened content simply has to be taken advantage of, and everyone is eager to listen to an interesting conversation or a lecture by a specialist on a business-relevant topic. This is your chance to reach a whole new audience with the help of already-invented content to increase your brand recognition.
• video content – you’re surely well aware that short video forms (Youtube shorts, reels on Instagram or TikTok) reign supreme in social media these days, especially in reaching younger generations. If your business is geared toward such an audience, you need to look for ways to create short educational materials that will spark interest and expand your reach.
• social media formats – based on one blog article, for example, you can generate a whole series of interesting posts (infographics, carousels, etc.) to share on your social media channels (Facebook, LinkedIn). Then you will appeal to an audience that relies on content delivered in a shorter form.
• webinar – the content discussed during a live webinar will also work well in the form of an ebook or video content in episodes shared on YouTube.

These are just a few examples of the most popular ways, the catalog of which is virtually unlimited. When deciding on a new way to present an older topic, you should be guided first and foremost by what content works best with your audience, thus meeting your company’s business goals.

Repurposing content – summary

Are you keen on simplifying your daily work in the marketing department? Do you feel that the distribution of the existing content is insufficient? Or are you focused on saving resources as much as possible and shifting employees to more creative activities? No matter what your goal is in the area of content activities, you can be sure that recycling will work perfectly. Choose the most interesting topics, devise a few additional formats with great potential for each, prepare the content – and voila! You’ve got the publication plan (e.g. on social media) for a few weeks ahead.

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Content marketing vs. copywriting – table of contents:

1. Online presence
2. What is copywriting?
3. What is content marketing?
4. Separately, but together
5. 4 differences between copywriting and content marketing
6. Do you need a content marketer or a copywriter?
7. Content marketing without copywriting
8. Summary

Online presence

Nowadays, many businesses operate on the Internet. Launching an online store or setting up your own website is not difficult. Especially since there are ready-made tools available to guide you practically step by step. However, creating your place on the web is only the first step.

Competition is fierce and the chance that you will have a lot of customers without proper promotion is, unfortunately, practically zero. It’s not about the product or the look of your store, but about the fact that you are invisible to your audience. One of the easiest ways to draw traffic to your site is to put relevant content in your product descriptions, page descriptions or include a blog section that carries some value.

What is copywriting?

Copywriting is saturated with the language of benefits. It is content designed to sell with words. The essence here is to reach an established target group using predetermined methods. The job of a copywriter is to create various types of content, which are published on the Internet, but not only. It also applies to printed content. Types of copywriting are advertisements and sales pages.

What is content marketing?

Content marketing is much broader than copywriting. It’s more about strategy, global activities for the brand that have a long-term impact on it. It’s more about attracting an audience by offering valuable content and slowly building brand awareness. Such customers, over time, turn into buyers who become part of the brand’s customer base, but this is a long-term process.

Separately, but together

Content marketing is only effective when good quality copywriting is involved. There is a reason why the two meanings are often used interchangeably even in the marketing industry, and people in both positions are required to have similar competencies. Creating a blog only makes sense if you provide your audience with interesting information, arouse their interest or make them gain useful knowledge. Even the best strategy will not bring the expected results when it is wrapped in poor quality content.

4 differences between copywriting and content marketing

Purpose

Copywriting sells with words. This means that its main purpose is to sell. Content marketing, on the other hand, does not directly persuade you to buy. You won’t encounter direct language of benefits designed to convince you that a product is just what you need. Rather, it will provide you with factual knowledge that will make you return to a particular page and get the next portion of information.

Form

Content marketing is the creation of online content. Copywriting, on the other hand, is not limited to online tools only. The texts are also created for standard media like magazines, newspapers and billboards.

Timeframe

Copywriting is supposed to produce results here and now. This means that in every piece of content you will find an offer encouraging you to click or informing you of an opportunity to buy. However, this does not mean that the content will not provide you with any interesting or valuable information. It’s more about timing here. Copywriting is meant to impact you right now, while content marketing is meant to generate gradual interest. Both ways boil down to one thing – developing your brand and increasing your customer base. However, each uses slightly different tricks on the way to achieve this goal.

Ways to influence customers

The purpose of copywriting is to play on emotions, to arouse the need to buy here and now. Content marketing, on the other hand, aims to do the same thing, but by building trust. It gives you information, educates you and shows you can trust it. Here, the urge to buy is based on slightly different values. You buy because you feel a certain bond with the brand.

Do you need a content marketer or a copywriter?

We can say that these two roles intertwine, and even live in symbiosis. One is an inseparable part of the other, both pursue the same goal, however, on slightly different terms. The most important factor that connects these two functions, or at least it should, is the target audience. In both cases, the audience is the main character of the content.

In any creation, remember that it is the customer, not the product, that is most important. In order to reach your recipients, you must first define who they are. This way you will create exactly what they need. You will find the features of the product that may interest them and present it in such a way that the recipients will feel you are speaking to them. Show customers that you know them, understand their needs and know their desires. Creating a product that suits their needs and values is the way to success.

Content marketing without copywriting

You come across a great blog by accident. There is lots of useful knowledge given in an interesting way. However, the number of comments and shares is close to zero. Then you wonder what is wrong. After all, this content is great, interesting, addressing current issues, and served in such a way that you read it with the greatest pleasure. This is a typical example of good content marketing, which unfortunately lacks copywriting. With just a few simple changes like using keywords in headings or optimizing content for SEO, you can attract new audiences.

Summary

Copywriting gives a temporary effect. When you use the language of benefits, you will make the customer buy your product or use your service. However, this will be a one-time action. In order to turn the customer into a loyal buyer, you need content marketing.

Read also:What is asynchronous communication?

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Who needs a copywriter? – table of contents:

1. Who needs a copywriter?
2. Become visible
3. Time is money
4. Great idea, but how to use it?
5. SEO is not all Greek
6. Traffic and advertisement
7. Copywriting is an art
8. Full-time employment is not necessary
9. Who needs a copywriter? Summary

Who needs a copywriter?

Copywriters know better, what to write, how to write it, and how to use current trends, they know how to tell the right story. They change the text into an interesting offer because it doesn’t have to be merely a stream of words.

Become visible

Inappropriate content on your website or lack of a blog site on the company’s website can be the reason why your company cannot reach the recipient. In current times, when all the products and services are available at your fingertips, and the competition is huge, each aspect of the marketing campaign is important.

Many people seem to believe that it is enough to start an internet store, copy the product descriptions from the supplier’s website and just wait for the clients, who will make a huge shopping. Let’s not deceive ourselves, without unique content, even in the section product description, your shop will be practically invisible to Google. The lower the visibility, the lower the traffic, and this means less revenue. The views and the reach are the currency of internet stores. The clients are lazy, practically nobody goes to the second page of search results. If you are not in the top ten, your chances to succeed are little.

Time is money

It might seem that writing simple text is very easy. The truth is completely different. To create good-quality text the right preparation is needed. The author has to prepare himself, plan the content, write the text and proofread it. All the stages are important only because the careful execution of all of them can result in good-quality text. Hence writing requires much time and engagement. Even if you have tried to do everything in your company by yourself, check if it is so cost-effective. Sometimes it is better to give the writing task to somebody, who knows more about it.

Great idea, but how to use it?

As the company owner surely you have many ideas that emerge in your head during everyday work. You can have great ideas, but what to do, if you don’t know the way how to pass your ideas to the audience? Frequently, people with a specific artistic soul know how to make things practically but struggle with presenting their achievements to the world. A good, qualified, experienced copywriter should be able to create content along with your guidelines. The content created by a specialist should increase your visibility on the net, while you should be able to deal with tasks that are more pleasant to you.

SEO is not all Greek

No matter, if you want or not, starting your website you enter the world of internet marketing. Here content has to be optimized, contain the right keywords, and be formatted to be friendly for the browsers. Does it sound all Greek to you? If your answer is yes, it means that you probably should employ a copywriter.

Traffic and advertisement

Employing a copywriter, who will regularly deliver good quality content to your website, can give you considerable savings. How is that possible? Regularly published content generates organic traffic because internet users search for advice or information on blogs. It means that you can save on advertisements, you would normally have to buy and pay for.

Copywriting is an art

On the Internet, which is saturated with companies that offer a similar types of services, it is extremely difficult to stand out from the crowd. To gain clients one has to build the identity of the company and make sure that your audience will perceive you as the expert in your field. Low-quality copywriting can bring more damage than benefits, which means that one should not save on copywriting. If you just started your business and think that the employment of a copywriter is beyond your budget, read all the above and think again. Surely, you should conclude, that hiring a copywriter is pure profit.

Full-time employment is not necessary

Many companies, even big ones, focus their operation on cooperation with marketing agencies or freelancers. There are many options and you don’t have to provide full-time employment and pay for the hours. All you have to do is to commission the task and pay for the result, which is a ready article, product description, or post to social media. If you want to check if the employment of a copywriter is for you choose that form of employment. After some time, you can be sure that with the copywriter on board you gain not only good quality text.

Who needs a copywriter? Summary

A copywriter is a professional who is skilled in the art of writing and creating content. They are often responsible for writing advertisements and other marketing materials. They can also be tasked with creating a website’s content, social media posts, and much more.

There are many reasons why you may want to employ a copywriter. If you have an idea for a product or service but don’t know how to write about it, then you may want to hire someone who does know how to write about it. This person will be able to create compelling content that will get your product or service noticed by potential customers, which could lead to an increase in sales.

The importance of copywriting is not only in the quality of the content but also in the way it is presented. This is where a good copywriter can help.

Read also: How to find a good copywriter?

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How to become a copywriter? – table of contents:

1. Who is a copywriter?
2. How to become a copywriter?
3. How to find a job as a copywriter?
4. Knowledge about copywriting
5. 6 features of a good copywriter
6. Summary

Who is a copywriter?

The main task of a copywriter is the creation of a different type of content. Starting from the most simple such as descriptions of products for the internet store, sponsored articles, social media posts, blog articles, or expert texts. Copywriting is a broad field, hence experienced individuals define their main area of interest.

It is not possible to create good product descriptions and be a specialist in medical and technical texts. It is better to develop in one direction and become a specialist in the chosen field. It is the truth that to become a copywriter you don’t have to be a graduate of linguistics or journalism. You don’t have to finish any course. It doesn’t mean that anybody can start his journey with content creation.

No matter if your text is the description of the product or blog post, every text on the internet is created to sell – directly or indirectly. Some individuals want to present the advantages of their products, while others wish to gain conversion in the form of signing up for a newsletter or downloading the application.

The main task of a copywriter is the presentation of the given subject to the audience, transferring the knowledge, explaining the given subject, persuading them to purchase, presentation of the advantages of the given product or service.

A good copywriter has to be a good observer. To create text that will attract customers you have to be a psychologist and sociologist. To write good quality content the mere technique, that can be learned, is not enough – one has to be broad-minded and should have the vocabulary and the ability to translate visions into words.

How to become a copywriter?

There are two ways of becoming a copywriter. Most of the people, who have writing skills, and wish to try their hand at content creation usually start with easy texts, that don’t require high linguistic skill and expertise. What is required, is good research skills and the ability to format text correctly.

A such person gains skills and knowledge through practice. After several months this individual can change the direction, select a different type of assignment, and use his experience gained in the meantime.

The expert text requires a bit more from the copywriter – he needs to know the field. In this case, the mere selection of keywords or simple formatting is not enough. The copywriter needs to possess substantive knowledge. He needs to have basic knowledge of marketing campaigns, Google Ads, and search engine optimization.

How to find a job as a copywriter?

Your career can be led by two distinctive paths: you can either start to search for assignments independently or to establish cooperation with a marketing agency.

Starting the cooperation with the marketing agency allows you to concentrate on content creation only. You don’t have to publish advertisements, respond to offers, or send e-mails to clients. Here the whole marketing is done by the agency. Your only task is to create the content.

Additionally, cooperation with the agency gives you the possibility to use the expert knowledge possessed by your new cooperators. If you don’t have any experience, but you feel that copywriting is the thing you wish to do in the future, this solution can be ideal for you.

The work of a freelancer is a bit different and requires other skills. The individual is not employed and is responsible for running his own business. If you choose this scenario you have to create content as well as contact your clients and search for assignments. Currently, there are many internet websites, where you can find orders and offer your services. Those websites can make your job easier, but still, you will have to spend a lot of your time on service orders.

No matter which of two career paths you choose – freelance or steady employment – your first step is the creation of a portfolio. You have to collect text to show them to your future ordering parties. You can start by writing several articles or even decide to run a blog. Your place on the net is a great way to show your skill and enthusiasm – it is your digital business card. You should be visible and findable, create good quality text and you will have the audience.

Currently ordering parties care less and less about experienced, courses, or the number of finished projects. They appreciate the enthusiasm and eagerness of the candidate for work. This means that the cv has to be accompanied by a portfolio of texts that show the abilities of the candidate, not necessarily his photo.

Knowledge about copywriting

Where else you can get more knowledge about the copywriting process? Access to any knowledge is not a problem today, most of the simple and common information can be found on the internet. There are many podcasts, movies, e-books, or video movies on the internet, that offer useful advice, tips, and hints.

It is worth tracking the social media accounts of known creators, who already managed to achieve success. They frequently share their valuable insights with others and provide useful advice.

Additionally, many good books dealing with copywriting and SEO marketing are available on the market. Try to find some of them, but remember that it is just the first step to copywriting career. What is most important here is the practice.

6 features of a good copywriter

If you are still thinking about becoming a copywriter, try to check the list of features that every good copywriter should have. Those characteristics are necessary to be able to stay on the job. The competition is huge, so even if it is not difficult to become a copywriter, it can be hard to be successful and have a steady income. Check, if you have all, that is required.

Good writing skill

The ability to change thoughts into words is one of the first and most important prerequisites to becoming a copywriter. The talent you have needs to be honed and developed, do not underestimate the need for constant practice.

Reliability

What clients expect is quality. You cannot provide quality without hard work, dedication and diligence. Weak-quality content does not bring the expected result. Such text can weaken the image of the company as the expert, hence the copywriter should handle all the assignments with diligence and fairness.

A curiosity about the world

Rich experiences, a great number of books read, or knowledge about the matters that are currently trendy help to create good quality content.

Independence

It is one of the most important characteristics of a good employee, not only a good copywriter. The writer has to be able to carry out research independently and make sound decisions related to his duties. During the cooperation with the client or the agency the subject and just several guidelines is all the author gets, all the rest depends on him – nobody will tell him, how to write his texts.

Ability to understand others

All the content is created for somebody. Every brand has its target audience. No matter if one writes a blog post or an advertisement, a copywriter should be able to understand his reader and his needs.

Creativity

A copywriter should have the ability to think creatively. New ideas, new themes, new content – all this requires a certain amount of creative approach.

Summary

How to become a copywriter? More and more people dream about becoming an author. It can be a profitable job if only one is diligent, creative, and talented. Copywriting tasks can be done remotely, they don’t require any specific education or knowledge. Writing can be your way to success, don’t hesitate and try your hand and change your career path.

Now you know how to become a copywriter. Read also: SEO copywriting – 7 things to remember when creating SEO friendly content

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What is plain language? – table of contents:

1. Combat verbosity
2. Avoid sophisticated words
3. Use short sentences and paragraphs
4. Put the subject and verb at the beginning
5. Write parallel sentences
6. Minimize passive voice
7. Forget about is, are, was and were
8. Watch out for of and wordy phrases
9. Turn nouns into verbs
10. Shun acronyms
11. Use a conversational tone
12. Introduce each paragraph with a topic sentence
13. Build bridges
14. Structure your content
15. Summary

Combat verbosity

If the sentence is too long, its basic point tends to get lost. Cut to its essence, the thought itself seems more concise. While it is easy to turn a 15-word sentence into a 20-word sentence, reversing this process is a rare art. Tighten your content, but keep it natural and idiomatic. Get rid of unnecessary words, but never delete the ones whose omission might confuse the reader.

Avoid sophisticated words

When you write, think about how to convey your thoughts with the simplest words possible. Ideally, imagine that you are explaining something to a child or an elderly person. If you can describe a topic in such a way that a kid can understand it, it is likely that everyone will. Obviously, it’s not about using infantile language or assuming that the reader is stupid. It’s about empathy and understanding that everyone sometimes has worse moments.

Use short sentences and paragraphs

Your average sentence length determines the readability of your writing. Therefore, you should have some 30-word sentences and some 10-word sentences. Just monitor the average, and keep it to about 20 words. If you want to achieve a clear and readable style, don’t try to say too many things at the same time, with too much detail and too little relevance. Also, break long paragraphs up. This simple technique will improve legibility and generate both speed and interest.

Put the subject and verb at the beginning

The English language follows the subject-verb-object order rather strictly. Sentences are better understood if the subject and the predicate are close together at the beginning of the sentence. Add clarity to your style by following this simple rule. This will help readers understand what you are talking about, and will make it easier for them to follow your thoughts when they read your content.

Write parallel sentences

Many grammatical structures require parallelism. The most common correlative conjunctions are as follows:

• µţ´ÇłŮłó…a˛Ô»ĺ
• ·ˇľ±łŮłó±đ°ů…o°ů
• ±·±đľ±łŮłó±đ°ů…n´Ç°ů
• Not only…but also

Putting words in pairs will make your sentences clearer and easier to understand. Using the same pattern of words also indicates that two or more ideas are equally important.

Example 1

Not Parallel:Michael loves dancing, climbing, and to ride a bike.

Parallel: Michael loves dancing, climbing, and cycling.

Example 2

Not Parallel: Michael loves dancing, climbing, and to ride a bike.

Parallel: Michael loves dancing, climbing, and cycling.

Example 3

Not parallel: The student was asked to write his essay clearly, accurately, and in a detailed manner.

Parallel: The student was asked to write his essay clearly, accurately, and thoroughly.

Always remember to skim your text to check if any sentences need to be made parallel.

Minimize passive voice

The active voice is basically better than the passive voice since it requires fewer words, and thus makes the reading easier and faster. The passive voice, in turn, is wordy and complicated. Consider these two examples:

• They were painting the fence when I arrived.
• The fence was being painted when I arrived.

The second sentence feels academic, formal, and stuffy. Therefore, you shouldn’t use the passive voice in more than 10% of your text. Always scan your content in search of passive sentences, and then try to change them into active ones, if possible.

Forget about is, are, was and were.

Highlight every is, are, was, and were, and check whether you can improve your text by removing them. Many writers wrongly believe that a be-verb always indicates a passive voice. In fact, it’s only some part of the passive voice structure. Nevertheless, even if be-verbs don’t always make sentences passive, they can certainly weaken your prose. By reducing the number of them, you can enliven your text considerably. Let’s take a closer look at the following sentences:

• Jones is in agreement with Smith.
• Jones agrees with Smith

The second sentence sounds way better than the first one. Always try to use strong and precise verbs in your writing.

Watch out for of and wordy phrases

Focus on each of to check whether it’s forming a wordy phrase. You might be surprised how often it happens. Reducing the ofs by 50% or so can greatly improve speed and readability. Also, replacing bloated expressions with everyday words might help a lot. Take a look at the following list.

Improve your style by shortening your sentences, phrase by phrase.

Turn nouns into verbs.

It’s not just passive voice and be-verbs that can weaken your prose. So can abstract nouns made from verbs. Avoid using words ending in -ion when it is possible. Write that something illustrates something else, not that it provides an illustration of it. Take a deeper look at more examples:

Shun acronyms

If you would like to gain a lot of readers, make sure you understand the acronyms you use, and that you know for sure what they are saying. Jargon and acronyms can obscure your prose. Therefore, when using abbreviations, always remember to explain them. For example:

• RWD (Responsive Web Design)
• CTA (Call to Action)
• CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization)
• CSO (Chief Security Officer)

Use a conversational tone

Whenever you write, the best approach is to be relaxed and sound natural. That tone communicates confidence. It shows that you are comfortable with your written voice. A relaxed tone can be achieved through contractions and pronouns. Make everything you write speakable, and address your reader directly.

Introduce each paragraph with a topic sentence

Think about the subject matter of your writing and start each of your paragraphs with a topic sentence. It should express the main idea of the given passage of text and set its tone. Based on a properly written topic sentence, your readers will be able to predict what they can expect from the rest of the paragraph, e.g., figure out if the paragraph will contain a list, statistics, a narrative, or something else.

Build bridges

Bridge between your paragraphs. It’s not about a sentence started in one paragraph having its continuation in the next paragraph. Nor is it about linking the last sentence of a paragraph to the first sentence of the next paragraph. And even less about repeating a sentence literally. It is rather about connecting ideas with each other to make a unified whole.

Structure your content

Divide your content into visible parts. Doing so will help you and your readers. The more complex your project is, the simpler and more overt its structure should be. In fact, headings have many benefits:

Use informative headings, bullets, and highlights. These are signs that help readers know where they are currently and where what they are looking for. Experts at Nielsen Norman Group say it clearly: people read only 20-28% of the text on a webpage. They merely scan the rest. If you take care of the structure and make it easy for your audience to read selectively, they’ll still pull out what’s most important. And if they want more, they’ll definitely know where to come back.

Summary

Bloated expressions that displace everyday words are mostly unreadable. Therefore, when creating content, you shouldn’t blindly adopt the worn-out, ineffective writing habits of the past. Embrace simplicity instead. Learn to write clearly. Writing is like any other skill, so it can be improved.

If you want to write well, you can’t sound like a machine. You need to learn to sound like yourself. Use a conversational tone and write as you talk. Plain language should be the foundation of any piece of writing, but it is easy to fall into various traps and unknowingly complicate the message.

You’ve just learned the answer to the question: What is plain language? Want more advice on clear writing? Check out the following article: Web writing principles – how to write for the internet?

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What are the 7 C’s of communication? – table of content:

1. What are the 7 C’s of communication?
2. Clarity
3. Correctness
4. Summary
5. Courtesy
6. Concreteness
7. Consideration
8. Completeness
9. Summary

What are the 7 C’s of communication?

The 7 C’s stand for seven essential principles of communication starting with the letter C. The concept was first introduced in 1952 in the field of public relations. Each C represents one principle that has to be followed to make sure that the communication in business is effective and successful from the point of view both the sender of the message and the recipient.

There are 7 C’s of communication in business that can be applied both to written and to oral communication and these are:

• Clarity
• Correctness
• Conciseness
• Courtesy
• Concreteness
• Consideration
• Completeness

Clarity

The message you are delivering should have a clear purpose, which means that the recipient should be made aware of the reasons for the message. An effective communicator should transfer his thoughts and ideas into the mind of the recipient effectively, which means that the message should be simple and precise.

Clarity is very important for effective communication in business hence the content of the communication should be free from jargon, difficult vocabulary and terminology. To improve clarity one should avoid idioms, technical terms, contractions, slang. Active voice, present tense and simple structures are recommended.

Clarityis interconnected with the principle of completeness and concreteness.

Correctness

The message should be correct and accurate. It is important both for verbal and non-verbal communication that it should not contain any grammatical or spelling mistakes. For written communication it is good to double-check or find a proofreader, while during writing it is advisable to consult a dictionary frequently.

Correctness is interconnected with the principle of consideration.

Conciseness

When communicating one should stick to the point and be precise. The lengthy sentences should be avoided and the message should be short and simple. One should avoid necessary repetitions and filler words.Conciseness means that the minimum number of words possible should be used to pass the message.

Conciseness is interconnected with the principles of concreteness and consideration.

Courtesy

In some texts courtesy is called consideration and in a way it refers to your good manners. While communicating the speaker or the writer should acknowledge his audience, so his message should show necessary respect to the recipients. Effective communication is always: polite, friendly and unbiased. The speaker should not make any assumptions about his receivers and it would be advisable so he could show his appreciation for their time and attention.

Courtesy is interconnected with the principle of completeness.

Concreteness

The message should be of such clarity that there is no space for misinterpretation. Your message should be backed by fact and figures from credible sources while the data used should be specific. Any vagueness should be avoided, hence all the words that have multiple meanings should not be used extensively.

Concreteness is interconnected with the principles of clarity, conciseness and consideration.

Consideration

Always consider the other part of the process – remember that your text is read by somebody else and needs to be easy to digest and decode. Put yourself in the position of the recipient and think about his experience with your message. Try to imagine your receiver, his knowledge, opinions, attitudes, values or even background. Make sure your message don’t bring negative emotions.

Consideration is interconnected with the principle of correctness.

Completeness

Include all relevant information such as: contact names, dates, times, locations, web-sites, bibliography. Your recipient needs to obtain all the information that is related to your topic. You should make sure that there are no missing parts, meaning your message should not look incomplete and it should be easy to follow your line of reasoning.

Completeness is interconnected with the principles of clarity and courtesy.

Summary

Nowadays, we communicate with people almost all the time during the day, we write e-mail, participate in conference, write reports and make presentations. There is a great need for clear and effective communication. Knowing what are the 7 C’s of communication will not instantaneously improve our communicative skills, but the mere awareness of such concept should give us a good understanding of what we should focus on. Adhere to the 7 principles of communication and create great oral and written messages, because the better we communicate the more respect and credibility we have with our colleagues, supervisors and clients.

Read also: 4 types of employees every company needs

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Public domain – table of contents:

1. Public domain – what is it?
2. Public domain vs. copyright
3. Does the copyright always expire in 70 years?

Public domain – what is it?

The public domain is in use on daily basis by millions. And they do it completely unconsciously – quoting poems of famous poets, copying paintings of famous painters, or recording an arrangement of their favorite movie tune. The common belief is that the public domain is a defense mechanism that guarantees humanity access to the raw material of culture to enable its further development. Is this access unlimited? And what is the public domain? Read on to find out.

This vague description of the public domain as all artistic works of humanity does not draw clear boundaries. Furthermore, acts of substantive law do not contain a legal definition of this concept, so lawyers assume that: the public domain is considered to be a set of intangible goods (especially works) that are not protected by copyright.

In practice, this protection does not apply to two groups of works. The first group includes those contents that cannot be granted appropriate protection under copyright law. These include:

• normative acts and their official drafts – these are all kinds of acts of universally binding law,
• official documents and materials, signs and symbols, e.g. administrative decisions, court judgments,
• published descriptions of patents or protection applied for under industrial property law,
• simple press releases.

Why did we choose those intangible goods? In the case of legal acts, the answer is simple. Every citizen should have an opportunity to get acquainted with binding legal regulations, which he/she is obliged to obey. Of course, it does mean that the regulations are created in a universally understandable way. The rest of the catalog concerns information that could potentially concern each of us or that has been created by the state or local government administration.

There is a second condition that original works have to meet to enter the public domain, and that is the expiration of copyright. The legal protection under copyright law ceases 70 years after the death of the author or the last co-author. That’s the theory, but what about the practice?

Public domain vs. copyright

In practice, many authors are eager to mislead the public about their actual rights because this is related to the continuity of copyright protection, and thus the possibility to continue profiting from the distribution of the work. After all, nobody is going to voluntarily get rid of the hen that lays the proverbial golden eggs, right?

On top of all this there are also problems with finding out who the author of a given work is, how many authors it has had, and finally, whether we are dealing with an original work at all, and not just a reproductive copy. Representatives of the legal doctrine argue that something that should be simple in theory often turns out to be unworkable in practice.

Does the copyright always expire in 70 years?

It turns out that the statutory term is not always counted in the same way. For example, the public domain in music does not include arrangements of given works. What does this mean? In practice, it means that we can play the legendary Last Christmas at a company Christmas party, but only in the original version. Any alterations and arrangements will be protected under the standard procedure.

In the case of motion pictures, the public domain seems peculiar as the 70 years is counted from the death of… the main director, the author of the screenplay or dialogues or the composer of music. Depends on who passed away most recently.

In the case of books in the public domain, you should pay attention to whether the work you are using is original (this applies especially to works translated from a foreign language). In this case, the time limit is counted from the translator’s death. What is more, many authors want to circumvent the existing regulations by registering selected elements of the work as e.g. trademarks. This is what the heirs of the author of “The Little Prince” did, for example, by registering the characters “Fox” and “Rose”.

Remember that the passage of time itself can be misleading when assessing the expiration of copyright. The public domain grows larger every year, but this does not mean that everything that is “old” must automatically be in it.

Read also: Content strategies for your blog: Hub & Spoke and Pillar.

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Content strategies for your blog – table of contents:

1. SEO Marketing Strategies
2. Hub & spoke: an SEO strategy. What are its characteristics?
3. Model structure and purpose of Hub and Spoke
4. SEO strategy. Benefits of Hub and Spoke strategy
5. Hub & spoke vs Pillar content. What is the difference?
6. What makes Pillar content strategy successful?

SEO Marketing Strategies

In marketing nomenclature, there are many terms put in various contexts with vague meanings. Some of them are used interchangeably, while others gain new meaning in the face of emerging opportunities. Numerous companies interpret already known terms to create their corporate jargon. This makes the marketing language extremely annoying, not to the point or even gibberish. But not in today’s case. In this article, we will outline the similarities, differences and main features that distinguish two SEO marketing strategies: hub and spoke, and pillar content.

Hub & spoke: an SEO strategy. What are its characteristics?

It is no coincidence that the name of the hub and spoke strategy correlates with bicycle nomenclature. This strategy model can be compared to a wheel, in which the hub forms the central part (hub) and individual spokes branch off from it, providing strength and support (spoke).

Sales strategies, operating under the h&s model, are designed to peer with others using the desired keyword. This is a more effective form of competition: a single blog post (on a single keyword) is usually not enough to effectively position a site against competing entities.

Model structure and purpose of Hub and Spoke

In the hub and spoke strategy, two main elements combine to make a whole. These are the hub (the home page) and the spokes (subtopics, periphery). The hub aims to direct website visitors to particular subpages. The home page includes a certain set of links, a table of contents, navigating to articles covering the subtopics.

To increase the effectiveness of such an operation:

• the hub should be connected to all links (spoke);
• each spoke should be associated with other spokes;
• there must be feedback: each spoke should return to the hub

SEO strategy. Benefits of Hub and Spoke strategy

The hub and spoke model is effective by taking full advantage of the site structure. It’s one of the best ways to develop your competitive edge, especially when others aren’t taking advantage of the potential of creating technical SEO content.

The H&S strategy works in a closed-loop. Each sub-page can generate some organic traffic, even though the primary goal is to get a lot of impressions on the central page. Another positive aspect is the low bounce rate on the parent site. The interweaving of all strategy elements with each other also works in its favor: it increases the time spent on the pages and makes navigation easier for the user.

Hub & spoke vs Pillar content. What is the difference?

The pillar content strategy refers to the creation of long, valuable content that exhausts the discussed topic. Its main purpose is to attract and keep a visitor on a given website. In marketing nomenclature, this model of strategy execution is also referred to as flagship content, cornerstone content, etc.

Websites operating in the pillar model concentrate all the content in one place, and not – as in the case of H&S – on various subpages. The potential of such websites is confirmed by research:

Content longer than 3,000 words receives over 75% more referral links than articles shorter than 1,000 words.

What makes Pillar content strategy successful?

Internet users may prefer a single, comprehensive article to a collection of shorter articles scattered in different places. Moreover, long, complex content reinforces the message and attests to the authority of the creator. Also in such a case, the table of contents, placed in the upper section of the website, proves to be handy and is considered as a standard. It facilitates Internet users to navigate the subpages efficiently.

The pillar content is a collection of all spokes (connections) and a hub. This strategy concentrates all content in one place, without the need to painstakingly set up separate pathways between the hub and subject articles.

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What to blog about? – table of contents:

1. How to create dynamic and attractive content? Ideas for articles
2. What to blog about – useful tools

How to create dynamic and attractive content? Ideas for articles

These days due to massive traffic and fierce competition building the high popularity of a blog is a daunting task. Even an effective promotion of the site doesn’t guarantee instant success. That’s why you must be one step ahead of your rivals and constantly deliver valuable content in a fresh way. How to do it? Check out our suggestions.

1. Analysis of opportunities. Proper structure and organization

The genius of the human mind enables us to attain incredible successes only with the help of thoughts and ideas that are put down on paper. Therefore, you should formulate ideas for your posts using the principles of praxeology – the theory of efficient operation, which laid the foundations for the system of modern management.

According to its principles, sticking to the praxeological cycle (focusing on what can readers use not just think and analyze) should guarantee a satisfactory outcome of the work. Although suggesting the golden thoughts of Kotarbiński or Kieżun enhances creativity, sorting out ideas, implementing them, and observing the results, it does not guarantee the emergence of brilliant inspirations. In this context, it is necessary to have a proven source of inspiration, thanks to which we will know what to write about on the blog.

2. A fleeting thought – inspiration can be born at any time

Popular and successful blog topics have a lot in common with great business ideas. They have the same features: they are innovative, attract the interest of the audience and generate profits. They also have the same disadvantages – they are often elusive, appear in the mind temporarily and have the character of slogans, not the whole complex construction.

Frequently, in a seemingly idle moment of lack of inspiration, it can actually come up spontaneously, as if out of nowhere. Be prepared for such a moment, and capture your ideas. When they come:

• Write down your inspirations in a notebook and then transfer them to your computer;
• Use professional programs to sort and organize your notes;
• Create a “mind map” using table generators and idea networks;
• Make short descriptions of inspirations;
• Modify, add to, and revise notes as you go.

What to blog about – useful tools

Surrounding trends, needs, and aspirations make your audience look for concrete information at a specific time. A great idea or a brilliant inspiration may not be enough – you also have to fit into the current market demand and hit the right moment. Analyzing preferences in such a wide area as the Internet is an impossible feat to accomplish on your own. However, you can look for inspiration with the help of tools prepared especially for the good optimization of your weblog.

1. Keyword search engine as a topic generator

One of the possibilities is to browse from a rich database of tags, thanks to which we can compose a topic interesting for the recipient and attract them to enter our article. The added value of knowing the relevant phrases is also the blog optimization process. By including relevant keywords in the content, the Google engine will prefer ours, placing it on the top search positions. Examples of intuitive keyword databases include Senuto, Semstorm, and KWFinder, among others.

2. Know the weaknesses of your blog – Animalz Revive

Content posted on an online blog is fluid. This means that visitors come and go any time whenever they desire. Website articles, however, have a way of becoming outdated in a matter of days. When you have dozens (or hundreds) of materials on your blog, it is impossible to control the process of their obsolescence.

A useful tool for refreshing blog content is Animalz Revieve – a free SEO tool for analyzing content that allows you to go back to posted articles, improve their visibility, delete outdated posts and learn what mistakes not to make in the future.

3. Go beyond the company blog with your content

A company blog is a personal, somewhat isolated source of articles. The reader has to actually click on the relevant link in order to see the prepared material. This means that the site attracts those tempted by a catchy headline or intrigued by the content. In order to increase traffic to your blog you should reach beyond, multiplying the interest of your audience. A good idea may be to record short videos describing the article on YouTube or run a fanpage on Facebook.

4. Ideas for interesting topics: antagonize content

The most powerful tool for finding new ideas, however, is our brain. Provoke the recipient with cleverness and a sense of humor. Create content based on proven patterns – posts like “X vs. Y”, “TOP 5”, or based on the PBC formula. However, add your part to it, interpreting the known patterns in your own way.

Instead of listing the benefits of a particular option, focus on the antagonism of why the other option is not worth pursuing. Compose intriguing titles, increase the volume of the lead, weaving in references to the benefits for the reader. Write about popular topics, not forgetting to use the strongest keywords to position the page.



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]]> /what-to-blog-about/feed 0 /10-best-content-creation-tools /10-best-content-creation-tools#respond Wed, 08 Dec 2021 14:03:02 +0000 /?p=20411 Why do you need content creation tools? Attractive content is noticeable, formally correct, qualitative and responds to the needs and interests of the audience at the time of publication. These features should be present at the same time so that the author has a chance to break through the wave of information that’s flooding readers every day. This is not an easy task, but the tools available on the market help you minimize your efforts to create the perfect content. What’s more, many of them are available for free. So what solutions should every copywriter know? Read on to find out!

Content Creation Tools – table of contents:

1. How to write content? – guidelines for using tools in copywriting
2. 10 Best Content Creation Tools

How to write content? – guidelines for using tools in copywriting

The tools we will discuss here improve the effects of a copywriter’s work on several levels – in terms of stylistic and spelling correctness of the text, in relation to its favorable position in the search engine thanks to the use of appropriate keywords, and also at the level of its visuals, so important in the era of image culture, which together with the text layer should create a coherent piece.

Even the most attractive content will not be positively received if the author does not bow to the algorithm that decides about its visibility. Similarly, sublime framing or post-production will not cover up blatant spelling mistakes and repetitions, which take away from the text’s credibility. What is more, carelessly made graphics cast a shadow over other dimensions of the delivered content.

That’s why if you want to be sure of getting the most out of your work, and if you want to keep the effort to a minimum, without compromising on the quality of copywriting services, you should be tempted to use available solutions. They are inseparable assistants of each content creator, combining the roles of proofreaders, SEO managers and graphic designers. Using them is also an advantage for the clients, who are provided with full-value texts, influencing the increase in sales and strengthening the company’s image as a professional in its industry.



10 Best Content Creation Tools

1. WordCounter.net

This tool provides multidimensional text analysis (number of characters and words, style, grammatical errors, plagiarism, keywords and their density in the text, reading time – in mind and aloud). Available only in English but should not be difficult to use due to its clear layout.

2. Language Tool

This tool checks and corrects the grammatical structure of a text written in one of the European languages, but also Chinese, Japanese and many others. You can use it from the website or plug-ins for Microsoft Office, Firefox or Google Chrome, among others. Language Tool is also available offline.

3. Answer The Public

This is a specific base of keywords, presented in the form of visualizations and tables, appearing in response to user queries. In this case, the selected keywords based on Google’s automatic suggestions take the form of the so-called long-tails (extended key phrases). The free scope of the service includes a limited number of searches within the same day.

4. Google Trends

Google Trends helps the creator to get into the current trends and write content. At the same time, this tool enables the aggregation of popular queries by their origin or the language in which they were formulated.

5. Ubersuggest

With this tool, you can become familiar with the popularity of particular search phrases by selecting related keywords. It is also a way to make observations of competitors’ actions and adapt them to your own needs. Also in this case the data analysis can be done by regions.

6. Keyword Combination Tool

It is a generator of key phrases created based on the words indicated by the user – main and complementary. The resulting phrases occupy different positions in the search results.

7. Google Keyword Planner

This is another tool aimed at keyword search. A Google Ads account is the only requirement to access it. By creating it, you gain access to keywords dedicated to SEO or Google Ads campaigns, information on their seasonality and applicable rates. The data obtained in this way is used for paid advertisements.

8. Canva

With Canva you can create all kinds of graphics, infographics and charts. It also offers functionalities such as photo editing, availability of different types of shapes, frames, and templates, dedicated to different platforms and purposes (banner, poster, invitation, sm entry, etc).

9. Remove.bg

This tool allows you to remove the background from individual graphics. Thus, it creates the possibility of creating original collages, original compositions, and clearer forms.

10. Pixabay

It is a bank of free images, made available under the Creative Commons Zero license (transfer to the public domain). You can find a lot of high-quality images that can be searched for based on keywords in English.

Read also: Storytelling in marketing – the most important rules

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]]> /10-best-content-creation-tools/feed 0 /storytelling-in-marketing /storytelling-in-marketing#respond Tue, 24 Aug 2021 10:50:50 +0000 /?p=14755 “Tell the story of the screws we produce in such a way that the story is as moving as the tale of Romeo and Juliet.” A seemingly impossible task, right? But people in charge of public relations forming or content marketing in many companies very often have to face the topic of storytelling in marketing. How do they go about it? To find out how to master some tricks of marketing trade and sell screws like bread, dive into our read.

Storytelling in marketing. Table of contents:

• Three-story goals
• How do you start so that the reader gets to the end?
• Storytelling in marketing: keys of fascination
• When it comes to storytelling in marketing – conflict is a good thing
• The Hero’s Journey
• How is it done in practice?

Three-story goals

When it comes to storytelling in marketing, first you have to consider the role of a narrator. A content marketer is partly a journalist, a copywriter and a traditional writer.

These three professions differ when it comes to writing goals:

• A journalist’s job is to report the facts as accurately as possible.
• The writer creates so that people can experience something, for him; it is the emotions that count.
• A copywriter, on the other hand, writes to get people to take a certain action.

Rarely do we need to fulfill all of these roles simultaneously. Think of the Romeo and Juliet story mentioned above. Here the author didn’t particularly have a lot of facts to stick to. He also didn’t care that we had to do a specific thing when the reader finished.

Emotion was all that mattered in this case. The same is true for you. Think about the goal you are trying to achieve. And then choose the arsenal most appropriate to it.

How do you start so that the reader gets to the end?

When you write, realize who you are writing for. Imagine your reader: where are they, what are they doing, what might draw them away from your text?

When writing an article, start by describing the persona for whom the text is being written. Sometimes it’s more than one person. Right now, I’m imagining you – you’re reading an article, with a smartphone and laptop lying next to you, right? These are my enemies, the “digital distractions.” I have to face them, challenge them to a duel where your engagement is at stake. If I write well, you’ll find that the incoming email can wait.

Example from Robert Cialdini

Robert Cialdini, one of the most important social psychologists you may associate with from his book “Influencing People” had a very similar work with his students. They ignored his story whenever they heard the bell ring.

This frustrated Cialdini greatly, so he decided to find a solution in his typical scientific way. He went to the library and pulled all the scientific papers he could from the shelves. He then read them and sorted them – interesting to the left, not so interesting to the right.

When he was done, he took the papers from the left-hand stack and tried to “distill” what interested him. He described the results in the mysterious article, ‘What’s the best secret way to engage students? The answer is in the title.”

A mystery is a great way to draw your reader’s attention. But it’s not the only one.

Storytelling in marketing: keys of fascination

Sally Hogshead has written a brilliant book called “Fascinate them!”. In it, she defines 7 keys of fascination (mystery being one of them) that will keep your reader’s engagement from wandering to different places…

What – besides mystery – are these keys?

• Alert – the thought that you will lose something if you don’t respond now. It’s a very primitive way to arouse interest (“Fire!” Or “Call now to get an extra set of knives!”), but… it works. Three-story journalists copywriters- we all aspire to be more. Show that you know the way and people will follow you.
• Power – we are fascinated by what we have no control over. Or something that will give us more control. Promise me control over my life, and I will listen (“Beat the cold!”)
• Performance – The forbidden fruit that tastes best. We love to watch others fall (literally and figuratively). That’s why websites like dailymail.com will never go out of fashion. No one reads, everyone knows, right?
• Trust – very often we filter out things we fundamentally disagree with and read what is consistent with our views. That’s why we have “left” and “right” newspapers

When it comes to storytelling in marketing – conflict is a good thing

Cover the story with emotions

Many people in charge of storytelling in marketing think that their job is to convey facts. More often than not, they are wrong – facts have been devalued a lot.

This does not mean, of course, that you can lie. It’s just that a reader who has already once acquired knowledge of facts (for example, that your company has launched a new product model) is not interested in reading a text from which… Well, exactly. From which he will learn about things he already knows. That is why your task, when working on storytelling in marketing, is usually to cover the story with emotions. And this is a completely different story…

Creating emotion in the text is relatively easy, I would say templated. You only need to master a few basic tools.

The first of these is monomyth. The word comes from a book by Joseph Campbell called “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” and it means a kind of the main body of a story that we are used to constructing a young age – it can be found in myths, fairy tales, commercials, and movies. What does this skeleton consist of?

Example from “The Lion King”

There is a hero, like Simba in “The Lion King” or Cinderella. He lives his life without bothering anyone when at some point he experiences what Campbell calls separation – his or her life takes a sudden turn for the worse. Luke Skywalker’s uncle is killed by Empire soldiers, Simba’s father dies, and Neo learns that our world is an illusion created by machines.

This moment of separation is a very important part of storytelling in marketing – it’s the moment of building emotion, it’s a source of conflict.

A character wants something they can’t have (like Romeo wants to be with Juliet), is separated from something they care about (like Jean Claude van Damme in any movie where his family is kidnapped), or seeks redemption for something stupid they did (like Simba for Mufasa’s death). Your reader, at this point, already knows if they want the protagonist to achieve his goal and… starts rooting for him.

Big brands use those rules of storytelling in marketing a= they present their stories as a conflict, a clash of Titans – Google against Apple, Apple against Microsoft, Microsoft against Google, etc.

Your brand should also have an enemy – and not necessarily in the form of a competitor. Very often the enemy of a brand is a certain idea against which the brand is acting. But let’s go back to the monomyth.

The Hero’s Journey

In its simplest form, the monomyth is the hero’s journey towards conflict resolution, mentioned by Campbell (van Damme gets his family back, Hamlet avenges his father, Luke Skywalker deals with the Emperor).

When it comes to storytelling in marketing – it’s usually not that easy – at the beginning of the journey the hero is completely uninformed, he doesn’t know how to go about solving the conflict. He needs a wise man, a mentor who knows the rules of this world.

Morpheus in “The Matrix”, Obi-Wan Kenobi in “Star Wars” and so on…

How is a wise man to know that the hero is up to the task? In many variants of the monomyth, there is a motif of trial – as in the fairy tale when a fairy disguised as a beggar asks Johnny to share his slice of bread with her.

Eventually, the hero reaches the end, to the place where his nemesis is waiting for him, the last element of the monomyth is the confrontation, the climactic moment, followed by the hero’s triumph (if you want to watch a happy ending) or downfall (if you’ve seen the movie “Se7en” by David Fincher, you know exactly what I’m talking about).



How is it done in practice?

Once you “get” the concept of monomyth, you’ll start to see it in the most compelling ads and stories you read or watch. And you’ll realize that monomyth can add excitement to even the most boring products and services.

Remember the Volkswagen “The Force” commercial made for the Superbowl? The entire commercial is an account of his “Hero’s journey” until the finale, in which – with a little help from his father – he manages to use the Force on a Volkswagen parked in front of his house.

Or the Procter & Gamble commercial filmed for the London Olympics? The protagonists here are athletes, we follow their journey from humble beginnings to Olympic gold. The journey from the point of view of… the guardian, i.e. the mother. This commercial is very touching, although, as I showed you a moment ago, it is very template-like. This template is precisely the power of monomyth. Every time you watch some “hero” struggle with adversity, your brain suggests memories of all the other similar struggles you happened to cheer for. And it accumulates the emotions you are experiencing.

So if you want to tell a story for content marketing, don’t forget about emotion. And stick to a proven formula: a conflict whose solution is your product. As you become more proficient in using the tools described above, you’ll be able to afford more and more – building complex characters whose motives aren’t entirely clear, suspense, incorporating humor, or showing events from the perspective of one side or the other. The possibilities are endless.

Just remember one thing: the conflict is the focus of your story. There is a big gap between what we would like to experience (a peaceful, predictable life where no one points a gun at our child) and what we want to read about. That’s why storytelling in marketing needs to be “dramatized”.

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The article appeared on PaweĹ‚ Tkaczyk’s blog.

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